Igniter for gas-engines.



Patented July 2, |90|. C. ALLEN. lGNlTER FOR GAS ENGINES.

(No Model.)

(Application filed Feb. 14, 190 1.)

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W/TNESSES s /N VE/V ron %W a W TTORAEY UNETED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

CLYDE ALLEN, OF AzLEroN, IOWA.

IGNITER FOR GAS-ENGlNES.

srncrrzcnron forming part of 'Letters Patent m. 6773491, dated July 2, 1901. Application filed February 14,1901. Serial No. 47,194. No model.)

To (til whom in' may cancer-ze:

Be it known that I, CLYDE ALLEN, a citizen of the United States of America, and aresident of Hazleton, Buchanan County, Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Im provements in Igniters for Gas-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This inventio'n relates to improvements in gas or vapor engines, and has for its objects the providing of a practical and simple de- Vice through which the igniting-spark may be made within the combustion-chamber of the cylinder and improved electrical connections and circuit-breaher for automatically regulating the production of the electric spa-rk within the combustion-chamber. I attain these objects by means of the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a gascleneengine, showing my improvements. Fig. 2 is a Vertical section of the cylinder and piston, showing ny improved igniting device in operative position; and Fig. 3 is an 'enlarged detail View of the Valve operating rods and the circuit-breale Similar numbers refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

My improvements are designed to be used with any ordinary type of gasolene-engine, and are here represented as being applied to an open cylinder 1, placed upon the base 21, and which has a piston 37, with pivoted piston-rod 19, arranged to rotate the fiy-wheels 20 on the primary shaft 17. This and the secondary shaft 15 have the square gearing 18 and 16, respectively, the latter by means of a cam 14: imparting a reciprocatory motion to the bar 26 through the nedium of the pivoted levers 13 and 12.

A pump 22 draws a supply of gasolene from a reservoir (not here shown) into the supplytank 3 through the pipe 27. The pump 22 has a bell-crank lever attached to its pisten rod, the member 3 of said lever being arranged to fit removabl y within a recess in the bar 26. Oil passes from the tank 3 into the carbureter 2, where it is vaporized, mixed with air, and drawn into the combustionchamber 42 of the cylinder 1. The eXhaustvalve is normally kept within its seat by the means of the spring 24. The eXhaust-valve stem moves within bearings in the walls of the carbureter 2 and is terminated by a nut having a projecting sleeve 31. i

A belt 7, driven by the priniary shaft 17, rotates the pulley 6, which is attached to the spindle 32 of the high-speed governor 5. As the speed of the engine increases beyond a proper limit the end of the spindle 32 is, through the action of the governor-balls 5, pushed down until it engages the sleeve 31 ot the nut 25 at a moment when the eXhaust- Valve is raised from its seat, thus slowing down the engine until the governor lifts said spindle and releases the valve. The bar 26 operates to continuously lift the said exhaust- Valve from its seat.

A conducting-bar 39 is set within an opening in the cyiinder and insulated from the cylinder by a non-conducting packing-ring 40. This conductor is, by means of the wire 36, brought into connection with any suitable source of electrical energy. Attached to that end of the conductor 39 which extends within the combustion-chamber 42 of the cylinder l is a rod bent into a hook, as shown at 41, and which is a spring contact-piece, whose point comes in contact with the surface of the pis ton 37 when the latter has reached its limit of motion within the cylinder.

The battery 34 is connected with the circuit-breaker 9 by the wire 35. This circuitbreaker is attached to but insulated from the lower member of the bell-crank lever 11. The free end of the circuit-breaker 9 is so arranged as to come in contact with the sleeve 31 of the exhaust- Valve nut 25 when the exhaust-Valve is closed within its seat. This happens through the action of the reciprocating bar 26, which as it moves ou tward carries with it the upper member 8 of the bellcranklever, raising the lower member 11 of said lever and the attached circuit-breaker 9 until the latter comes in contact with the sleeve 31 when the spring 24 has drawn the eXhaust-Valve back to its seat. As through the action of the cam li the movement of the reciprocating bar 26 is reversed its end impinges upon the nut 25, throws open the exhaust-valve, and causes the bell-crank lever to lower the arm 9, breaking the circuit as the sleeve 31 recedes from the end of said lever 0. It will be seen that when the engine acquires unnecessary speed and the governorballs 5 cause the spindle 32 to descend and hold open the exhaust-valve by engaging with the sleeve 31 the said sleeve is held out of contact With the end of the circuit-breaker 9, breaking the circuit until a sufiicient number of igniting-sparks have been omitted and the action of the engine slowed down. The governor thus automatically regulates the exhaust of the engine and the action of the sparker.

When the engine is started, gas is drawn from the carbureter to the oonbustiomchamber 42 of the cylinder, and as the piston re turns it conpresses the gas within the corni bustion-chamber, the pressure closing both the inlet and exhaust valves. As the piston reaches its farthest limit of motion toward the cylinder-head it comes in contact With the spring-sparker 41, and as it moves away the circuit through the engine is broken and an igniting-spark produced within the combustion-chanber.

the gas again ignited.

As the spring-book 4:1 is placed so as to re- Q tract a short distance through the pressure action of the piston, the contact is always cer- The action of the reciprocating-lever then keeps the circuit broken until the piston returns toward the cylinderhead, when the current is restablished and tain, and it has no pivotal connections subject to wear.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure' by Letters Patent, is

1. In a gasolene-engiue having an electrical sparking device, the combination of the contact-piece 41, the insulated conductor 39, insulated lever 9 and valve-stem nut 25 with sleeve 31, with the cylinder 1, piston 37, con

' 'ductors 35 and 36 and suitable means for in- CLYDE ALLEN;

Wituesses:

H. E. MERRILL, H. A. BURDICK. 

